Policy Briefs

For years, one of the key objections of the European Commission in its annual reports on Montenegro has been the failure to hold local elections on one day. A prerequisite for this would be a better understanding of the work and nature of local self-governments in Montenegro. Also a separate Law on Local Elections should be adopted to additionally address the issues of open lists and individual candidatures, argues the author of this Policy Brief. He furthermore recommends a structural transition to an organisational model of local self-government, which would allow for a governance based on the actual needs of the local population.

The policies of the European Union regarding the enlargement process focus not only on the political elite but also create bottom-up processes involving and supporting the population in cross-border or regional cooperation projects. Especially, the younger generation in accession countries receives more attention, as they play an important role in overcoming old animosities and are open to new ideas and perspectives. The authors of this Policy Brief, look at activities concerning youth empowerment in the EU and the Western Balkan region in general, address the regional level, and assess selected projects in the context of the Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Hungary-Serbia from 2014-2020. They focus on activities and youth exchanges between both Serbia and Hungary as an example and discuss finance possibilities within the EU’s cohesion fund.

In 2018, the European Commission has launched the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans. It aims to support the transition of the region into a digital economy and society by modernising public administrations, strengthening cybersecurity, increasing connectivity, and boosting research and innovation. In recent years, North Macedonia has been trying to digitalise its public services and install digital wallets, but the process remains slow, and is riddled with problems coming from both citizens – a lack of knowledge, trust, and digital skills – and institutions, because of the need for legal amendments, inertia, the lack of understanding the benefits and trust. The authors of this Policy Brief outline the many political, social and administrative advantages that fast implementation of these services would have and formulate policy recommendations.

Over the last three decades, Croatia has been steadily losing its population. The 2021 national census results show that Croatia has a population of 3,871,833 million people, 413,056 less than in 2011. Demographic decline is partly a result of wartime human losses in the 1990s, but ever since it has been steered by a combination of factors including decreasing birth rates, increasing emigration and limited immigration. Since Croatia joined the European Union in 2013, emigration of mostly young and educated hit new record highs. The author of this Policy Brief argues that the government’s policy solutions have not reversed negative demographic trends and offers policy recommendations for a progressive and comprehensive immigration policy in Croatia.

Extending the objectives of the European Green Deal to the Western Balkans is an important step for environmental protection in the region, which faces serious challenges related to air, water and soil pollution. The Russian war in Ukraine and consequences of the energy crisis make the green transformation even more relevant. The European Union shall provide strong support for the Western Balkan states in their journey towards energy transition and sustainable development, while ensuring stability in the region. Hence, the author of this Policy Brief argues that the Green Agenda Action Plan should strengthen a bottom-up approach and the role of environmental civil society organisations in the drafting and consultation process.

The European Union is a global leader in promoting gender equality and emphasises the importance of empowerment of women also in the enlargement process. Therefore, incorporating gender equality principles into domestic legislation and ratifying the relevant acquis communautaire has become an essential part of the accession process. Serbia as a candidate country for EU membership adopted several laws, a legal framework and established necessary gender equality mechanisms, but the status of gender equality policy implementation remains a challenge. That is why the authors of this Policy Brief point to the problems women face in the labour market in Serbia, present the main causes of the unemployment of young women and women 45+ and offer policy recommendations for overcoming them.

In July 2018, the European Commission confirmed that Kosovo had met the two outstanding requirements, thus fulfilling all benchmarks set out in the visa liberalisation roadmap. The European Parliament has voted in support of the European Commission’s proposal which is still pending in the Council of the European Union. Thus, in a time where other Western Balkan countries are in a process of discussing different stages of the integration, Kosovo remains in search of visa-free regime. The authors of this Policy Brief argue that Kosovo’s visa liberalisation process should be treated as a matter of urgency because the potential candidate country should move forward with its European integration process and enjoy the same perspective as other countries in the region.

Some European countries and regions are confronted with a severe decline in population. The last census in Bulgaria, for example, shows that its population has shrunk by 11.5% in a decade and continues to decline. The country has lapsed into a serious demographic crisis, of which emigration, low birth rates and high death rates are the key factors. On the other hand, return migration gathered new momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic in several EU countries and particularly Bulgaria recorded a rising number of returning migrants. However, the recognition of potential benefits from this phenomenon failed to translate into concrete policies aimed at attracting returnee´s involvement in the prosperity of the country. These developments have reconfirmed the need for a thorough re-evaluation of current policies, writes the author of this Policy Brief and identifies possible ways for improvement.